


The Flight

by tsuki_llama



Category: Darker Than Black
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-22
Updated: 2017-11-22
Packaged: 2019-02-05 07:18:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12789570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsuki_llama/pseuds/tsuki_llama
Summary: Even contractors have phobias...





	The Flight

Hei tossed his small duffel bag into the overhead bin, then crossed the aisle to his seat. He could never decide whether he preferred the aisle or the window: there was more room to stretch out in an aisle seat, and faster egress in case of emergency; but he didn't like not being able to see what was happening outside. Even thirty thousand feet up. He had ended up choosing a window seat for this trip, two rows ahead of the emergency exit; further back and the wing would block too many major sight lines. At least it was daylight. He hated flying at night.

The plane was rapidly filling up. Hei settled into his seat and pulled out his mp3 player, popping the ear buds into his ears. He didn't turn on the music just yet; slouched down, eyes partially closed, and wearing headphones, he hoped to broadcast the message that he wasn't interested in chatting with whoever sat down next to him. If he was lucky, the flight wouldn't be completely full and he'd have the whole row to himself.

He gazed out the window at the activity on the tarmac. Just the usual airport operations; nothing overtly suspicious. While he watched, he let the sounds from inside the cabin filter through his mind. People chatting about everyday things; a couple - American, from the sound of their English - couldn't find their seats; somewhere in the back of the plane a toddler was having a tantrum. From time to time he glanced over to the aisle so that he could keep an eye on the bin containing his duffel - the custom-built liner had successfully hidden his gear from the x-ray scanners, but he couldn't be too careful.

A flicker of movement outside his window caught his eye, and he tensed; but it was just a bird.

Hei had just allowed himself to relax again when a familiar voice said, "Is this seat taken?"

He looked up in sharp surprise, certain that he was hearing things. But no: Misaki stood in the aisle, smiling nervously at him. When he didn't respond, she raised an eyebrow.

"Uh," he said, straightening a little in his seat. "No."

She nodded in relief and sat down. Hei watched as she bent to place her large purse under the seat in front of her. She'd told him that she was going to a conference this weekend, but he'd been so focused on his own mission that it hadn't even occurred to him that they might be on the same flight.

Having stowed her things, Misaki sat back up and buckled her seatbelt. "So," she said quietly, "Okinawa?"

Hei shook his head minutely. "I'm getting off in Nagasaki, but I'm not staying there." He didn't have any further details; he only knew that he would take a transport from the public airport to the American airbase that was nearby. Once he was on a military plane he would be debriefed on his mission.

"Oh." She sounded relieved and disappointed at the same time. Or maybe he was just projecting his own feelings on the situation.

The plane lurched as it began to push away from the gate. Hei fixed his eyes on the personnel out the window, who were directing the process. She shouldn't have asked to sit next to him. He shouldn't have said yes. Any of these other people on the plane could be a member of the Syndicate, set to watch him - or her. But despite that…he was glad she was there. Even if he had to spend the next two hours pretending that they were just the most casual of acquaintances.

There was a rumble as the engines roared to life. Misaki had taken a pen and a magazine out of her purse and was flipping through the pages, but she set it down at the sound.

"This is my favorite part," she said, eyes shining in anticipation.

Hei didn't say anything. He stared straight ahead at the tray in front of him, forcing his breathing to stay even. The engines revved up, and he felt the G-forces pushing him into his seat as the plane hurtled down the runway. Then the aircraft lifted off, and his stomach dropped.

A touch on his hand startled him out of his concentration. He turned his head to see Misaki looking into his face with concern, her hand laid over his. She was also biting her lip.

He forced himself to loosen his grip on the armrest. "It's okay," he told her. "You can laugh."

"I'm trying so hard not to," she said with a worried grin. "But seriously - I've seen you jump off a building fifteen stories high."

He shrugged stiffly. "This is different. I'd be fine if I had a parachute."

A flight attendant was heading down the aisle towards them; Hei reluctantly but quickly pulled his hand from Misaki's grasp. Catching the hint, she returned her focus to her magazine.

After the attendant had passed, Misaki said quietly, "I've always wanted to skydive."

"You'd like it." Hei liked it as well; he'd much rather be jumping out of this plane than riding in it. The sooner the flight ended, the better.

Once the in-flight service began, they didn't have much opportunity to chat without being observed. Misaki worked on some kind of crossword puzzle in her magazine, while Hei turned on his mp3 player and shut his eyes. Normally he would have tried to sleep: a two-hour flight was perfect for banking hours that he knew he would be missing tonight, and the more of the flight he could miss, the better. Instead, he held an image of Misaki in his mind, as she sat next to him: her glasses sliding down her nose as she leaned over the page; her ponytail draped over her shoulder; the top two buttons on her blouse undone and her suit jacket folded neatly in her lap; her ankles demurely crossed. Every now and then he imagined that he could hear her tapping her pen against her wrist.

He had no idea how long he had been zoned out like that, but a sudden lurch snapped him out of it, and his eyes flew open. The plane jolted again; he gripped the armrest compulsively. He glanced at his watch: they were only a half hour into the flight. Fantastic.

Then he felt Misaki hook her foot around his, and he relaxed a little.

She said something, but between the white noise from the cabin, the children screaming in the back, and the loud volume of his mp3 player, he didn't understand her. He removed one of his ear buds.

"What?"

"I asked, what are you listening to?"

Wordlessly, he passed the ear bud to her. Misaki placed it in her own ear; then her smile turned into a look of confusion.

"What is this?"

He fished the player out of his pocket and showed her the screen.

" _Sounds of the Rainforest_ ," Misaki read.

"It helps me relax," Hei admitted reluctantly. He couldn't read her expression; so he changed the subject. "What are you working on?"

She passed the magazine over to him. "Sudoku. Have you ever played?"

He shook his head, and she proceeded to explain the rules. "It's easy," she finished, though Hei doubted that. It sounded complicated.

…and it was. Even after an hour of working at it, he couldn't even solve one of the easier sets. "I've never been much good at math," he told Misaki.

"It isn't math," she said, exasperated. "All you have to do is count up to nine."

Hei looked at the page again. "Oh," he said, his voice even. "I think it's because I've been trying to do it in Chinese."

Misaki narrowed her eyes at him briefly; then she gave a snort of laughter. "Shut up." She squeezed his hand. "Maybe we should do a logic problem instead."

But just as she turned the page in the magazine, the sound of the engines changed. They both glanced out the window; Hei was shocked to see the ground below slowly but surely getting closer. The flight attendants were walking up and down the aisles, asking the passengers to prepare for landing.

"Oh," Misaki said. "I hadn't realized we were so close."

She let go of his hand and put away the magazine; but her leg remained pressed up against his throughout the landing. Hei couldn't remember ever experiencing a smoother one.

The plane taxied to the gate; as soon as it had halted, the passengers stood en masse to collect their belongings and deplane. Misaki remained seated.

"I wish you were on the flight to Okinawa with me," she said softly.

Hei pulled his duffel down from the overhead bin, feeling the familiar, comforting weight of his gear.

"Me too," he said honestly.


End file.
